I recently got to chat with Taylor Bright, an up and coming pop singer from Philadelphia. Despite being only 18, Taylor has been making a name for herself since 15. With a good head on her shoulders, and a clear idea of her self identity, she is certainly making a splash in the pop world. Her EP, Mixtape Love debuted on iTunes on August 15th, and the first single from the EP ‘Psycho’ is making a statement set to a high energy, up-beat, pop song. Keep your eye on this one, with no puns intended, I see a bright future head of her.

I know you just started college this week. What is it like juggling a blossoming career and school?
Taylor: It’s been hard and there have been obstacles. But I’ve been dealing with that my whole life.

'Psycho' is the first single off of your  EP, Mixtape Love. The video was recently released. Why did you chose ‘Psycho’ to be your single?
Taylor: It was the first song we [Robopop and Taylor] recorded. We built all of the songs off of it. ‘Psycho’ is high and energetic, so I think it was a good choice for a single. And it has such a strong message that I think needs to be addressed, especially to girls my own age and in college.

You have been noted as a ‘pop star with a purpose’. And with 'Psycho', you are making a statement on issues such as cyber-bullying, and stalking. Is using your career to support bullying and other issues, important to you? Is self-empowerment a message you want to deliver with your music?
Taylor: Yes, it is important. Everyone is bullied to an extent. These are issues that I see in the News and on the Internet and was something I wanted to address. I don’t know if I will continue making a statement on bullying, but I do want to support as many issues as I can. Right now I support two charities, including Invisible Children.

Are there artists who have influenced you?
Taylor: I am influenced by everything. I don’t want to limit myself and find inspiration in every genre. From Beyonce to indie music, to growing up and listening to the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. I went to their concerts and thought, “That’s what I want to do!”

You worked with Caesar Augustus of Augustus Films for the video of 'Psycho,' How was working with him and his team and did you help with the concept of the video?
Taylor: Great. Everyone was easy to work with, including the dancers and actor Corey Saba who played the ‘stalker.’ They chose great locations and had great ideas.I had a picture in my mind of the concept and what I wanted it to look like, everything was built around that image. Making the video was one of the best times I’ve ever had. It was a lot of fun. The concept was great, at the end there is a twist and it is left up to the audience to figure out if he was really stalking me, or if II was really the one stalking him[Corey Saba].

What was your favorite part of the making of ‘Psycho’?
Taylor: I was most excited and happy about the fact that I got to dance. In previous videos I wasn’t able to and I have been a dancer my whole life. I was happy I got to show that I am a performer as well.

Do you think the single and video for ‘Psycho’ did a good job of showcasing your new direction and image? We see this new artist emerge, with an edgier more up beat sound.
Taylor: Absolutely. I have dancing, and musical theatre backgrounds, and want to use them to help show me as the package deal. I want to continue with the edgier pop genre.

Since it's premiere, 'Psycho' has had more than 40,000+ views. Being 18 and at such an early stage in your career, is it exciting to see that many people interested?
Taylor: Yes! Every ‘Like’ and view has me so excited. I’m excited about the video and I’m glad other people are too. ‘Psycho’ has been a great launch to my new career direction and I keep getting compliments on it. It’s a great feeling. It’s a lot of pop energy.

You recently posted the track 'I Hope That You're Lonely," on your FaceBook. Like ‘Psycho’ it is edgy and up-beat. Are you planning on releasing all 6 tracks off of your EP? With the tool of the Internet, do you think doing this will help reach more people and get more people interested in your EP and future albums?
Taylor: We are monitoring the reaction and marketing, playing the EP and which songs we post by ear. It’s great to put new songs out there for friends and fans, though. The Internet has been a great way to reach people, and it’s always great to see ‘Likes’ and encouraging comments.

What was it like working with RoboPop? How did you become involved with them?
Taylor: We had worked previously on a few songs before the EP. They were the best. Co-writing with them started early on. We just had a lot of fun in the studio. Both of them helped me grow and gave great suggestions. Writing in the studio with them has been the best parts of this whole experience. We had similar vibes, and ideas of what the music should sound like, and added to each others writings.

Four years ago, you made a splash with your pop-rock song 'Stripped Socks.' Do you think you find influence from those earlier times for your sound now? Were there other avenues you tried, or plan on trying? Personally, I noticed similarities in ‘Burn’ with your earlier songs.
Taylor: I’m defiantly going to keep writing. I want to try and draw from all genres. Pop-rock still influences me but music has changed since i was 15. I have also changed as a person. I’ve graduated high school and am now I’m in college, I’ve grown up a lot.

‘Shooting Star’, is a slower track on Mixtape Love. Do you plan on writing more tracks like this in the future or are the more dance, upbeat pop songs what you're more interested in doing?
Taylor: I plan on writing more of the slower type songs. The upbeat pop sound is my main focus, but I think it is important to an artists repertoire to have the ballads, or songs like those.

What are the next steps for you as an artist? Have you already started planning for a full length album? Are you going to work with Robopop again?
Taylor: I’m going to be juggling both school and my career. And I plan on writing and recording as soon as possible. This is my first semester of college, but I’m going to be traveling a lot on the weekends. I’ve already started writing again and have been looking for and working with people in Philadelphia, my hometown. I don’t know if I will work with Robopop in the future.